N. Ikegaki et al., PRODUCTION OF SPECIFIC ANTIBODIES AGAINST GABA-TRANSPORTER SUBTYPES (GAT1, GAT2, GAT3) AND THEIR APPLICATION TO IMMUNOCYTOCHEMISTRY, Molecular brain research, 26(1-2), 1994, pp. 47-54
Polyclonal subtype-specific antibodies were developed against three su
btypes of GABA transporters (GAT1, GAT2 and GAT3). By immunoblot analy
sis, each antibody detected a single band that could be blocked by abs
orption of the antibody with the respective antigen. GAT2 was found in
various tissues, while GAT1 and GAT3 were detected only in the brain.
GAT1 was distributed throughout the brain with the highest amount in
the olfactory bulb, CA3 region of the hippocampus, layer I of the cere
bral cortex, piriform cortex, superior colliculus, interpeduncular nuc
leus and nucleus spinal tract of the trigeminal nerve, while the GAT3
was densely found in the olfactory bulb, thalamus, hypothalamus, pens
and medulla, globus pallidus, central gray, substantia nigra, deep cer
ebellar nuclei and nucleus spinal tract of the trigeminal nerve but no
t in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, caudate-putamen and cerebellar
dorter. GAT2 immunoreactivity was faint throughout the brain but was c
oncentrated in the arachnoid and ependymal cells. Both GAT1 and GAT3 w
ere found in the neuropil but not in the cell bodies nor in the white
matter. These results suggest that GAT1, GAT2 and GAT3 are expressed i
n different cells and that GAT1 and GAT3 are involved in distinct GABA
ergic transmission while GAT2 may be related to non-neuronal function.